Bella
by Pancake3298
Summary: An amazing event was about to take place in Francesco Bernoulli's life. Looking back, how did he get to this point? A rough road it was, but love always prevails. Oneshot. Belongs to Mere.


From Pancake: Mere is such a sweetie for writing this for my sister! I can't thank you enough! See what an awesome person she is? Now if you haven't read all her stories yet, please do so NOW! *Huggles Mere! (And yes, my name is Stephania. xD)

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Okay. My first Francesco fic. I'm writing this for Pancake3298's sister Bella, who needed to read a good oneshot right about now. Her favorite character is Francesco.  
This is for you, Sweetie! Feel better soon!

(Disclaimer: Francesco, Mrs Bernoulli, Holley, Mater, Lightning, and Sally all belong to Pixar. All other characters are mine. Please ask if you want to use them.)

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**Bella**

The sun blazed overhead, causing heat to overcome all the racers on the track. Seventy laps into the one hundred and twenty lap race.  
Seventy laps in, and Francesco Bernoulli, in fifth place, was beginning to become exhausted. They had traveled to america two nights before for this race. Francesco had had a bad case of jet lag, so now he was really tired. He was also worried because of his- well, we'll get to that later.  
As he zoomed around the track, becoming more and more tired, he remembered what his crew chief once told him: "Francesco, if-a you ever start to-a become too tired to finish a race, think about-a something else."  
Francesco had followed those wise words, and it was true. They did help.  
So, as the Italian formula car blocked a pass from Lightning McQueen, he let his mind wander.  
He began to think about his life. Something Amazing was about to happen, and any day now at that. Francesco began to think of how his life had led up to this approaching special day...

Francesco Bernoulli, five years old, grabbed the tire of his best friend, Perlita, who had come over to play that day. Perlita was an F1 car like him, and she was light pink with blue eyes. On her hood sat two pink, ruffled bows. (A/N: think like a little girl's hair bows.) Perlita was five years old, like Francesco, but she was two days younger.  
"Come on, Perwita," Francesco said,  
"Let's-a go into-a the backyard."

Together they rolled into the backyard of the Bernoulli's Italy home. Mrs Bernoulli loved flowers, and there were all sorts of plants and vines growing around the tall house. A fountain gurgled in the corner of the yard, and ducks walked around it.  
Francesco had never understood ducks. Why didn't they have wheels? And why were they so... Feathery? Yes, that was the word. feathers.  
There were about twenty ducks, almost all asleep.  
Francesco turned to Perlita. "Want to chase-a them?" He asked slyly.

Perlita smiled and nodded.

Mrs Bernoulli, sitting inside the house with Perlita's mother, heard an engine rev and then the sound of wings flapping and the ducks quacking. She shook her head with a laugh. Those two children...

"That was-a fun!" Perlita exclaimed, laughing hard.

Francesco was laughing too. "We should-a do that again sometime!"

Perlita smiled and sank lower on her tires, lying down.  
Francesco did the same and looked up at the blue sky, filled with fluffy white clouds.  
"That one looks-a like a gelato (ice cream) cone." Perlita said, pointing at a cloud with her tire.

Francesco smiled. "Look at-a that one." He said. "It's-a shaped like an elephant."

Perlita was confused. "What's an...E-ela...phe... What is-a that?"

"A big animal, the size of-a a house." He replied.

Perlita's eyes widened. "There aren't-a any around-a here, are there?"

"Francesco doesn't-a know." He smiled suddenly, "Perwita, come-a with me. We'll-a go on an elephant-a hunt."

For the rest of the day, Perlita and Francesco rolled around the yard, playing in the tall grass and hunting for elephants. (they didn't find any.) Mrs Bernoulli brought them oil cans and both of them, panting and tired, drank them.  
That night, Mrs Bernoulli was tucking in Francesco.  
"And-a we hunted for-a elephants. Mama." He told his mother excitedly as she placed the blanket over him.

"Did-a you now?" Mrs Bernoulli asked.

"Sì, mama. But-a we didn't catch any."

"That's perfectly fine." Mrs Bernoulli replied. "Where would-a you put an elephant?"

Francesco's eyes lit up. "It could-a stay in my room."

Mrs Bernoulli chuckled. "No. Buononotte, Mi Bebe." She said, turning off the light.

"Bounonotte, Mama." Francesco replied, his eyes already getting heavy.  
His bedroom door clicked shut, and Francesco looked out the window beside his bed. It was a beautiful night. The evening was cool, and the stars shone their light brightly.  
Francesco thought about Perlita. She was his best friend. He wondered with a yawn if they would get married when they were bigger. He thought that sounded like a good idea.

"I'm-a sorry, Francesco." Perlita said, tears rolling down her hood. "But we have to go."

Francesco, eleven years old, nodded, as he too felt tears begin springing to his eyes.  
Perlita had just brought him the news that night, that her family was moving. Moving to America. Her parents had both just gotten job opportunities, and they also believed that the schools in America would be better for their daughter. Once they had their new jobs, they'd be able to afford to send Perlita to a special boarding school for above average children.  
Francesco, seeing tears on Perlita's hood, gently wiped them away. "We can-a write to each-a other, Perlita." He comforted. "Or we can-a visit sometimes."

Perlita sniffed. "But it isn't-a the same, Franco. I won't be able to see you."

Francesco held her tire in his for a moment. "Then let's make-a a promise." He said. "Look up at-a the moon."

Perlita did, looking over the porch railing, up into the nighttime sky.

"See it?" Francesco asked. She nodded, so he went on. "Right-a now we're looking at it together. Let's-a make a promise that every night we'll-a look up at the moon and think of each other."

Perlita nodded and placed her tire on his. "I-a promise, Francesco."

Ten years later, Francesco had started his racing career. He loved racing and everything about it. He loved how the wind rushed past him as he drove so fast on the track. He loved the competition. And he loved how the fan girls screamed his name as he drove past them on his way to his trailer or to the track.  
But there were times when he didn't feel...happy. He was lonely.  
No one ever thought that a F1 race car with thousands of fans and so much mail he couldn't read it all in an hour would be lonely.  
He had his crew chief, but his crew chief traveled home to his family whenever he got a chance.  
Francesco felt ready to find a beautiful girl and settle down. Maybe raise a family of his own. So he began his search.  
Francesco had forgotten all about Perlita and his promise to her, years ago.  
But one day, a year later, it all came back to him.

He rolled around the track stadium, signing autographs for fans. They smiled and posed for pictures. All the fans were talking and shouting. But then Francesco heard a voice. One he hadn't thought of in years.  
He turned around to see a sparkly purple F1 parked a few feet away. There was something about those blue eyes...  
"Perlita?" He asked, coming closer.

She smiled excitedly and nodded. "It's me, Franco."

He smiled incredulously and rushed forward to hug (A/N: Hug... Idk how a car does that. Just go with it.) her, not caring that cameras were flashing all around.  
She returned the hug. "Oh, Franco, it's been so long."

"Sì. It has."

"I missed you. But I remembered our promise."

"And I missed you too." Francesco replied after a moment's hesitance. He'd forgotten his promise he'd made all those years ago. "Can-a you meet me here after-a the race, Perlita?"

She nodded. "Of course."

So Francesco left to run the race, his thoughts never leaving Perlita. She was so beautiful. Could she be the one?

A year later~

"I do." Francesco said with confidence.

"Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce you husband and wife." The priest announced. "You may kiss your bride."

Francesco looked lovingly into Perlita's blue eyes before pressing his lips to hers. There were cheers so loud, Francesco was sure that the next state over could hear it. It was April tenth, and a beautiful spring day. The wedding had gone wonderfully, and now Francesco smiled at his new wife. She smiled back, just as big.  
Francesco smiled at how beautiful she looked. She'd gotten a white paint job, just for the occasion. A slightly off-white color was painted in lacy shapes above the pure white.  
Perlita would say that Francesco didn't look bad himself. He'd been painted black for the wedding.  
Perlita and Francesco posed for pictures and they signed the papers, then they left for the reception.  
Their good friends, Lightning and Sally McQueen, had generously offered to let them use their huge backyard for the reception. The weather allowed it, and it was beautiful all decorated white with red and green flowers.  
There were tables set up around the yard, including one for gifts and one for the huge four tiered cake. Flowers were in vases on every table, and ribbons and bows were in different places around the yard.

Francesco set his tire with Perlita's on the cake cutter, and they carefully pulled a slice out onto a plate. They both exchanged a sly glance, then instead of eating the cake, they threw it at the other's face, causing roars of laughter from the party guests.  
After cleaning it off of their faces, they ate a slice. It was rich and chocolaty. The frosting was amazing and just the right thickness.  
After cake, Perlita and Francesco chatted with the guests, mainly Lightning and Sally.

"So, you finally got married off." Lightning said in approval.

Francesco nodded and pulled Perlita closer to him. "And I couldn't be-a any happier. And-a you, Lightning. Any day now you're-a going to be-a a father, sì?"

"Yep." Lightning said, and beckoned Sally to him. She rolled over from where she had been talking to Francesco's mother, and parked by Lightning's side. Her back doors were swollen huge, and her undercarriage nearly touched the ground. But she was smiling nonetheless.  
"Congratulations." She said, hugging (A/N: idk.) Perlita, and shaking Francesco's tire.

"Grazie." They said in unison, then laughed.

"So do you know what gender you're having, Sally?" Perlita asked.

Sally smiled and leaned against Lightning. "We're having a boy."

"Congratulozoni." Francesco told them. He glanced up at the clock, then turned to Perlita. "We had better get going soon, Lita. We don't want to-a miss our flight."

Ten minutes later, Perlita lifted her bouquet of flowers above her, and then she threw it over her shoulder.  
Holley Shiftwell caught it, smiling hugely.

Francesco turned to Perlita and attempted to remove her lacy garter from her right front wheel axle. It was knotted, and was stuck.  
Perlita and Francesco both flushed with embarrassment, and Francesco tried again. At this moment, Perlita was very grateful that she had open wheels, because if she hadn't, this would get very embarrassing very fast.  
"Is it stuck?" She asked her new husband who was pulling at it with both tires.

He nodded, desperation in his eyes. "It's in-a a knot. A tight one."

There were chuckles to be heard from behind them.

Five minutes later, it was still stuck. "Who tied-a this?" Francesco shouted.

Holley raised her tire. "I did." She said through a laugh. Holley rolled forward and began to work on the knot.

Perlita, red faced, sighed in relief when she felt the fabric loosen.  
"There." Holley said, backing up.

Francesco shook his head as there were laughs from the crowd. He untied the garter, then threw it behind him.  
Mater caught it with his tow-cable. "Well dad-gum!" He exclaimed. "I guess I'm the next one t done get hitched."

There were laughs, then Francesco and Perlita bid everyone goodbye, and set off on their honeymoon trip.

So now, a year after that wedding, Francesco was pulled away from his thoughts about his life. The track stretched out in front of him, and with ten laps to go, he needed to be focused.  
Then it happened. His crew chief's voice sounded through his radio.  
"Francesco, you need to-a come in NOW!"

Francesco huffed. "But I'm fine on gas and tires-"

"It's Perlita." His crew chief said with urgency in his voice. She just called to say that she's on the way to the hospital!"

Francesco's heart beat sped up. Perlita was about to have the baby? Yes, this was the special day that Francesco had been waiting for. The day his first child was born. Francesco rushed to pit-lane, gathered his belongings, and rushed to the helicopter that would take him to Italy within a few hours.  
The entire flight home, all Francesco could think about was Perlita. He couldn't stop tapping his tire from nervousy.

Finally, after three hours, the helicopter arrived in Porto Corse, Italy. Francesco drove to the hospital, almost faster then he drove on the track.  
Upon reaching the desk, he inquired after Perlita, and was directed to the waiting room.  
For the next tedious hour, Francesco rolled around the room, back and forth in a straight line. He flicked through a magazine, but his attention wasn't on it. All he could think of was Perlita.

"Mr Bernoulli?"  
Francesco looked up at the doctor who'd just called to him from the doorway.  
The doctor smiled. "Congratulazoni! You're-a the father of a beautiful ten pound, nine ounce, F1, baby girl. And-a the mother's doing fine."

Francesco's heart leaped with joy. A girl? A baby girl?  
The doctor beckoned for Francesco to follow him, and the drive down the hallway to room 111. The doctor opened the door, let Francesco in, then left.

Francesco's breath caught, and he drove over to Perlita.  
Perlita laid in a bed, looking exhausted, but happy. She held Beside her, a small pink bundle.  
"Oh, Franco." She sighed as he kissed her.

"Are you alright, Lita?" He asked anxiously.

She smiled. "I'll be fine in a few days." She whispered. She looked into Francesco's eyes, then looked down as she moved the blanket.

Francesco gasped in amazement when he got his first look at his new baby daughter. She was so tiny! She looked like a miniature F1, and she was a soft pink color. Her eyes fluttered open to reveal a beautiful chocolate brown color.  
"She's-a Beautiful, Lita." Francesco whispered.

Perlita smiled. "Do you want to hold her?"

Francesco nodded and Perlita lifted the baby in her tires, then slowly placed her into his.  
Words couldn't describe the overwhelming feeling of love that Francesco felt, holding his daughter in his tires.  
She lifted one of her small tires and tried to grab onto his.  
Perlita laughed slightly. "Aww, She loves her daddy."

Francesco smiled hugely. "What are we going to name her?"

"What do you think of Francesca?" Perlita asked.

Francesco shook his head. "No." He said bluntly. He looked back down at the baby and sighed happily. "She's so beautifu-" He looked up at Perlita. "Bella. Let's name her Bella. It means beautiful."

Perlita smiled. "That's perfect. Now a middle name... What about... Stephanie?"

"Stephania." Francesco corrected. "Bella Stephania Bernoulli."

Perlita smiled. "That's perfect." She said, and they both looked lovingly at their new daughter.  
Francesco was happy. Very happy. He'd married the love of his life and now he had a beautiful daughter.  
In that year of loneliness, he'd felt empty and without a purpose. Now he had a family. He was full of happiness and he had the privelidge of raising a daughter.  
His daughter. His Bella.

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Okay! That went pretty well.  
Hope you enjoyed reading, Bella and Stephania.  
Mere.


End file.
